A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gases through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
The turbine section typically includes a plurality of sequentially arranged stage(s) of turbine nozzles and turbine rotor blades. Each of the turbine nozzles within the various stages of turbine nozzles and each of the turbine rotor blades within the various stages of turbine rotor blades include one or more flowpath surfaces. In order to, e.g., decrease a heat load of certain of these flowpath surfaces, riblets (i.e., small ribs or fins) may be incorporated into the flowpath surface. Given a complexity associated with incorporating the riblets into the flowpath surfaces, each of the sequential riblets conventionally define a uniform geometry and spacing.
However, different flowpath surfaces within, e.g., the turbine section are exposed to different airflow conditions. The inventor of the present disclosure has found that the different airflow conditions react differently to the uniform riblets. For example, the riblets may be beneficial given the airflow conditions at a first flowpath surface, while the riblets may actually provide detrimental effects given the airflow conditions at a second flowpath surface.
Accordingly, the inventor of the present disclosure has discovered that it may be beneficial to customize the plurality of riblets to a specific location within the gas turbine engine at which the flowpath surface is located. More specifically, a flowpath surface for a gas turbine engine having a plurality of riblets customized to the specific location within the gas turbine engine would be particularly beneficial.